FROM   THE  LIBRARY  OF 
REV.   LOUIS    FITZGERALD    BENSON,  D.  D. 

BEQUEATHED   BY   HIM   TO 

THE   LIBRARY  OF 

PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


Seel 


/</3£/ 


THE   EARNEST   OF   THE   SPIRIT 


/ 


THE    EARN 


OF   THE   SPIRIT 


FRANCES  BEVAN 

AUTHOR   OF    "THREE    FRIENDS    OF   GOD,"   ETC. 


EATON   &f  MAINS:   NEW   YORK 
JENNINGS   £sf  GRAHAM:    CINCINNATI 

1907 


PREF#ACE 

The  Holy  Ghost  delights  to  take  of  the  things  of 
Christ,  and  show  them  to  us.  John  xvi.  13-15. 
May  the  Lord  give  us,  in  realising  the  fulness  of 
Jesus,  to  abide  in  the  sweet  savour  of  divine  de- 
light in  Him,  dwelling  by  faith  in  the  promised 
land,  that  we  may  know  what  our  hope  is,  as 
well  as  what  is  the  ground  of  our  hope,  the  Blood 
of  the  Lamb. 

By  faith,  and  in  the  Spirit,  we  have  this  place 
in  Christ,  who  is  in  heaven.  It  is  not  mere 
theory  or  mysticism ;  but  we  who  believe  are  united 
to  Christ  by  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from 
heaven.  We  are  quickened  together  with  Christ. 
Being  forgiven  all  trespasses,  we  are  raised  together, 
and  seated  in  Him  in  heavenly  places. 

Therefore  it  is  true  of  us  who  believe  in  Jesus, 


VI  PKEFACE 

that  God  has  revealed  unto  us,  by  His  Spirit,  the 
things  which  eye  hath  not  seen  nor  ear  heard, 
the  things  which  God  has  prepared  for  them  that 
love  Him.  "  Thanks  be  unto  God  for  His  unspeak- 
able Gift." 


CONTENTS 


THE   PALMER 

THE   HIDDEN   MANNA     . 

PENTECOST . 

TWO    RIVERS 

THE   JUDGMENT-SEAT     . 

IN   THE   DEPTHS    OF    THE   SEA 

TWO   LIVES 

NOT   FORSAKEN     . 

THE   MORNING    STAR      . 

THE    SEED  . 

the  lamb  on  the  altar 
whiter  than  snow  . 
ye  are  Christ's 

NOW 

the  leading  hand    . 
FIRST  and  last 
the  pillar 
one  moment 
jesus  my  shepherd  . 

FOUND 


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Vlll 


CONTENTS 


THE   WAY    . 

EARTH   AND   HEAVEN    . 

THE   WELL    IN   THE    DESERT 

FOLLOWING 

FOOTPRINTS 

THE    GIFT    . 


PAGE 

43 

45 
47 
49 
Si 


THE    EARNEST  OF   THE   SPIRIT 

THE  PALMER 

11  Our  conversation  is  in  heaven. " — Phil.  iii.  20. 

A  pilgrim  alone  in  the  desert 

I  seek  for  His  steps  on  the  sand — 
Yet  bearing  the  palm  from  the  mountains 

Of  the  holy,  the  glorious  land. 
Around  me  the  lion  and  adder, 

The  wilderness  burning  and  bare  ; 
But  quiet  and  green  are  His  pastures — 

My  heart  is  not  here  but  there. 
I  have  walked  in  those  blessed  valleys 

And  He  has  walked  there  with  me, 
As  now  in  the  pathless  desert, 

And  now  on  the  waves  of  the  sea. 
And  soon  will  the  pilgrim  journey, 

The  wilderness  path  be  o'er ; 
I  shall  bear  the  palm  into  heaven, 

And  say,  I  was  here  before. 


THE  HIDDEN  MANNA 

"  After  the  second  veil,  the  Tabernacle  which  is  called  the 
Holiest  of  all ;  .  .  .  wherein  was  the  golden  pot  that  had 
manna." — Heb.  ix.  3,  4. 

"  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  hidden 
manna." — Rev.  ii.  17. 

In  the  glory  of  God  the  Father 

The  Man  who  is  God  I  see — 
Brought  nigh  in  the  Holy  of  holies, 

Lord  Jesus,  I  worship  Thee. 
The  Manna  that  God  has  hidden 

In  the  depth  of  the  golden  shrine  ; 
I  feed  upon  Christ  in  glory, 

Thy  glory,  O  Lord,  and  mine. 
For  not  for  the  wilderness  journey 

That  Manna  in  heaven  is  stored  ; 
But  for  strength  to  the  heart  to  adore  Thee, 

To  rejoice  in  the  joy  of  the  Lord. 
The  food  of  the  heavenly  banquet 

Art  Thou  in  that  glory  apart, 
Where  the  angels  behold  the  Father, 

And  His  children  have  known  His  heart. 


THE   HIDDEN   MANNA 

There  fed  on  the  hidden  Manna, 

In  the  secret  of  God's  delight, 
And  here  on  the  food  of  the  desert 

Sent  down  in  the  dews  of  the  night, 
Christ  in  the  joy  He  has  entered 

The  Manna  in  heaven,  I  know — 
Christ  in  His  sorrow  remembered 

The  strength  for  the  journey  below. 


PENTECOST 

"There  appeared  unto  them  cloven  tongues  like  as  of  fire, 
and  it  sat  upon  each  of  them ;  and  they  were  all  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost.', — Acts  ii.  3,  4. 

Behold,  from  the  upper  chamber 

The  saints  of  the  Lord  go  forth, 
To  the  rising  sun  and  the  setting, 

And  afar  to  the  south  and  north — 
Each  crowned  with  the  joy  eternal, 

The  halo  of  cloven  flame, 
For  from  depths  of  the  innermost  heaven 

The  Spirit  of  glory  came  ; 
They  are  the  earthen  vessels 

Wherein  the  Treasure  is  borne 
On  through  the  dark  night  watches 

Till  rises  the  golden  morn. 

The  Treasure  is  Christ — is  Christ. 

They  are  chords  that  were  strung  in  heaven 
That  the  hand  of  the  Lord  should  smite, 

So  making  the  wondrous  music 
To  tell  of  His  heart's  delight — 
The  Music  of  God  is  Christ. 


PENTECOST 

They  are  the  lamps  that  were  kindled 
From  the  glory  beyond  the  sun, 

As  the  myriad  stars  resplendent, 
Yet  ever  the  light  is  one — 

Their  glory  and  light  are  Christ. 

A  spectacle  God  has  made  them 
To  the  world,  to  angels,  and  men, 

That  Jesus,  the  Scorned  and  Rejected, 
Should  be  scorned  in  His  own  again- 
Thus  is  their  guerdon  Christ. 


They  are  the  living  fountains 
That  gladden  the  desert  road ; 

Through  them  the  eternal  river 

Flows  down  from  the  throne  of  God — 
The  River  of  joy  is  Christ. 


On  from  the  upper  chamber, 
On  to  the  break  of  the  day, 

An  ever  unbroken  procession 
Still  do  they  wend  their  way ; 

For  their  Guiding  Star  is  Christ. 


PENTECOST 

And  at  last  to  the  upper  chamber, 

The  Presence  Chamber  above, 
They  pass  from  the  world's  reproaching, 
Are  lost  in  the  light  of  His  love 

For  ever,  for  ever  with  Christ. 


TWO   RIVERS 

11  He  clave  the  rocks  in  the  wilderness,  and  gave  them  to 
drink  as  out  of  the  great  depths." — Ps.  lxxviii.  15. 

"  He  showed  me  a  pure  river  of  water  of  life,  clear  as 
crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God  and  of,  the  Lamb." 
— Rev.  xxii.  1. 


From  the  smitten  Rock  on  the  desert  shore 

There  flows  the  sacred  River — 
Oh !  joy  to  drink,  and  to  thirst  no  more 

For  ever,  and  for  ever ! 

And  across  the  wastes  that  are  salt  and  dry 
There  sounds  the  voice  of  singing — 

For  there,  a  marvel  and  mystery 
That  well  of  life  is  springing. 

From  the  throne  of  God  and  the  Lamb  in  heaven 

There  flows  a  glorious  River, 
A  tide  of  gladness  in  fulness  given 

For  ever,  and  for  ever — 


8  TWO   RIVERS 

And  unto  the  soul  that  drinks  is  known, 

In  the  land  beyond  the  desert, 
The  Lamb  who  was  slain,  on  the  Father's  throne 

His  love  untold  and  unmeasured ; 

For  it  is  not  to  slake  the  wilderness  thirst 

That  flows  that  exhaustless  River ; 
The  stream  from  the  Rock  was  the  gift  at  first — 

The  Stream  from  the  throne  the  Giver. 

As  the  Stream  in  the  desert  is  He  with  me, 

Then  sweet  is  the  pilgrimage  story ; 
But  with  Him  am  I,  and  His  face  I  see 

In  drinking  the  Stream  from  His  glory. 

From  the  smitten  Rock  still  flows  the  tide, 
And  life  from  the  dead  is  that  River ; 

From  the  Lamb  on  the  throne  there  flows  to  the 
Bride 
The  Bridegroom's  joy  for  ever. 


THE  JUDGMENT-SEAT 

"Who  shall  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect? 
It  is  God  that  justifieth.  Who  is  he  that  condemneth  ? " 
—Rom.  viii.  33,  34. 

Before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ 

Shall  His  beloved  stand, 
Their  raiment  white  as  is  the  light, 

A  palm  in  every  hand. 

Like  Him  who  sits  upon  the  throne 

All  glorious  and  all  fair, 
His  everlasting  life  their  own 

They  stand  irradiate  there. 

His  deep  delight — His  heart's  desire, 

The  joy  before  Him  set, 
For  them  He  passed  through  flood  and  fire, 

He  wept  on  Olivet. 

For  them  His  agony  untold ; 

For  them  the  curse  He  bare : 
He  sees  the  travail  of  His  soul 

When  stainless  they  are  there. 

9 


10  THE   JUDGMENT-SEAT 

With  splendour  wrought  their  robes  were 
brought 

From  God  their  Father's  store — 
In  Christ  arrayed,  Himself  displayed 

In  them  for  evermore — 


And  who  shall  then  the  soul  condemn 

That  God  has  justified  ? 
Shall  Christ  condemn,  beholding  them 

His  Body  and  His  Bride  ? 

Adorned  for  Him  as  is  the  wife 

Upon  her  marriage  day, 
Himself  it  is  who  is  their  life, 

As  He  is,  so  are  they. 

He  gives  to  them  the  glorious  prize 
For  works  that  were  His  own ; 

Their  beauty  in  the  Father's  eyes 
Is  Jesus  Christ  alone. 


IN   THE  DEPTHS   OF  THE  SEA 

14  Thou  wilt  cast  all  their  sins  into  the  depths  of  the  sea." 
— Micah  vii.   19. 

11  They  took  up  Jonah,  and  cast  him  forth  into  the  sea : 
and  the  sea  ceased  from  her  raging." — Jonah  i.  15. 

My  sins  cast  into  the  depths  of  the  sea — 

All,  all,  and  for  evermore ; 
By  the  mighty  Hand  that  was  pierced  for  me ; 

I  thank  Thee,  my  God,  and  adore. 

Myself  cast  into  the  depths  of  the  sea, 
For  ever,  for  ever,  past  and  gone ; 

No  more  are  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  on  me : 
He  looks  on  the  Face  of  His  Son. 


The  winds  and  the  sea  their  raging  cease, 
And  deep  is  the  calm  divine ; 

The  stillness  of  God's  eternal  peace, 
For  ever,  for  ever  mine. 


12  IN   THE   DEPTHS    OF   THE    SEA 

He  cast  me  into  the  fathomless  deep, 

Into  the  heart  of  the  sea ; 
Down  to  the  roots  of  the  mountains  steep, 

And  the  depths  closed  over  me. 

So  past  and  gone — so  past  and  gone 

For  ever,  for  evermore  ; 
And  yet  to  stand  in  the  Risen  One 

Alive  on  the  golden  shore. 

My  life  hast  Thou  brought  from  the  pit  of  doom 
When  the  dread  night  passed  away ; 

And  Jesus  arose  from  the  garden  tomb, 
His  life  to  be  mine  to-day. 

So  passed  from  the  grave  to  the  heavenly  place, 
To  the  glory  where  Christ  is  gone, 

I  rest  in  the  radiance  of  Thy  Face, 
Accepted,  O  God  !  in  Thy  Son. 


TWO  LIVES 

"  A  Man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief." — Isa.  liii.  3. 
11  Thy  God  hath  anointed  thee  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above 
thy  fellows." — Ps.  xlv.  7. 

Side  by  side  the  gladness  and  the  sorrow, 

Deepest  shadow  and  eternal  sun ; 
Two  lives  live  we  till  the  glorious  morrow 
When  the  life  is  one. 


So  the  angels  saw  beside  the  mourners 

Him,  the  Man  of  sorrows,  walk  and  weep — 
Yet  rejoice  in  presence  of  His  angels 
When  He  found  His  sheep. 


So  His  sufferings  in  His  own  abounding 

Are  to  them  a  bitter  cup  and  sweet ; 
Through    the   storms   they  hear   the  psalteries 
sounding 

From  the  golden  street. 

13 


14  TWO    LIVES 

Sweet  with  Him  to  suffer,  made  partakers 

Of  the  mystery  of  that  sacred  woe  ; 
Yet  the  mystery  of  His  joy  partaking 
Even  here  below. 

Deep  and  fathomless  His  unknown  sorrow, 

Deep,  unspeakable,  the  joy  we  share 
Here  awhile  by  earthly  mists  beclouded — 
All  unclouded  there. 


NOT  FORSAKEN 

11 1  will  not  leave  you  orphans  :  I  will  come  to  you." 

— John  xiv.  18. 

"I  will  not  leave  you  orphans," — thus  He  came, 

Came  even  as  He  said ; 
His  presence  resting,  a  celestial  flame, 

On  each  beloved  head. 

There  resting  still — eternal  love  was  He, 

Descending  then; 
Their  aureole  to  be  that  angels  see, 

And  light,  by  them,  to  men. 

In  that  fair  radiance  His  beloved  tread 

The  lonely  ways ; 
By  Him  through  starless  depths  of  midnight  led, 

Through  darkened  days. 

They  sorrow  not  alone,  nor  weep  alone, 

And  not  alone  rejoice  ; 
When  mists  enshroud  the  morrow  all  unknown 

They  hear  His  voice. 

15 


1 6  NOT   FORSAKEN 

They  speak  the  tongue  of  that  eternal  land 
Whence  their  Beloved  came  ; 

The  lost,  the  broken-hearted  understand 
And  learn  His  name. 

He  walks  beside  them  in  the  ways  He  trod, 
When  homeless  here  was  He — 

He  leads  them  where  the  blessed  heart  of  God 
Their  home  shall  be. 


THE  MORNING  STAR 

44  I  am  the  bright  and  Morning  Star." — Rev.  xxii.  16. 
14 1  will  give  him  the  Morning  Star." — Rev.  ii.  28. 

It  is  night  around  on  the  hills  and  the  sea, 

In  the  cities  of  splendour  and  sorrow, 
And  we  watch  for  the  day  that  is  to  be, 

For  the  crimson  dawn  of  the  morrow. 
O  Thou  Morning  Star,  in  the  deep  dim  sky, 

On  our  lonely  pathway  shining, 
Thy  light  the  light  of  the  day  that  is  nigh, 

Of  the  Sun  that  has  no  declining — 
O  Star  of  the  Morning,  we  worship  Thee, 

The  guide  to  Thy  pilgrims  given, 
Far  over  the  desert  and  over  the  sea 

To  the  golden  towers  of  heaven. 
Yet  the  eyes  that  see  Thee,  ere  morning  breaks, 

The  cloudless  morn  in  its  splendour, 
Ere  the  earth  from  her  dream  of  sorrow  awakes, 

And  the  graves  their  captives  render, 


I  8  THE   MORNING   STAR 

Have  seen  Thee  there  where  never  is  night, 

Where  the  Star  is  lost  in  the  glory ; 
Where  Thou  art  the  everlasting  Light 

And  the  ransomed  fall  before  Thee. 
Already  brought  to  the  courts  divine, 

Where  Thou  art  the  Man  ascended  ; 
For  there  in  Thee  for  ever  are  Thine, 

The  days  of  their  mourning  ended. 


THE  SEED 

"  He  shall  grow  up  before  Him  as  a  tender  Plant,  and  as  a 
Root  out  of  a  dry  ground." — Isa.  liii.  2. 

A  seed  it  was  of  an  unknown  Tree 

That  grew  in  an  unknown  land, 
And  far  and  wide  on  the  lonely  lea 

It  fell  from  the  Sower's  hand. 
The  thistles  and  thorns  that  soil  had  borne 

Or  barren  and  bare  it  lay ; 
But  the  seed  had  ripened  in  golden  dawn 

Of  a  country  far  away. 
No  sun,  no  shower,  no  skill,  nor  toil 

That  germ  from  the  earth  could  bring ; 
It  was  formed  in  the  depth  of  a  heavenly  soil, 

And  fed  from  a  heavenly  spring. 
It  was  not  a  seed  from  the  ancient  tree 

In  the  Eden  that  man  had  trod  ; 
It  was  borne  by  a  Tree  that  could  only  be 

In  the  Paradise  of  God.   .   .   . 


20  THE    SEED 

O  soul,  thou  barren  and  desolate  land, 

Rejoice  that  the  work  is  done ; 
That  the  seed  is  sown  by  a  mighty  hand, 

Himself  its  rain  and  its  sun. 
Beyond  thy  hopes  that  are  yet  despairs, 

Beyond  thy  want  and  thy  will, 
Beyond  thy  desires,  beyond  thy  prayers, 

Beyond  thy  strength  and  thy  skill : 
All  in  that  seed  from  His  hand  is  given, 

All  the  love  of  His  heart  to  thee — 
All  the  unspeakable  joy  of  heaven, 

Himself  the  Seed  and  Himself  the  Tree. 


THE  LAMB   ON   THE  ALTAR 


14  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power,  and 
riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honour,  and  glory,  and 
blessing." — Rev.  v.  12. 


Even  as  Abel  saw  Thee,  the  Lamb  on  the  altar  laid, 

Afar  in  the  ages  dim — 
Even    as   Thy   redeemed   in    their   stoles    of  white 
arrayed 
Shall  sing  the  eternal  hymn, 
Worthy  is  the  Lamb. 


Even  so  have  I  seen  Thee,  the  Lamb  that  was  slain 
for  me, 
Accursed  in  the  sinner's  stead ; 
Even  so  have  I  seen  Thee,  my  trespasses  laid  on 
Thee, 
The  crown  of  thorns  on  Thy  Head — 
Worthy  is  the  Lamb. 


2  2  THE    LAMB   ON    THE    ALTAR 

Even  so  have  I  seen  Thee — I  saw  the  Face  of  my 
God 
Beneath  that  thorny  crown — 
Saw  from  the  wounds  I  had  made  the  stream  of  the 
precious  Blood, 
The  cleansing  Blood,  flow  down — 
Worthy  is  the  Lamb. 

Every  sin  forgiven,  cast  in  the  depths  of  the  sea, 

And  death  with  its  curse  and  sting — 
Only  the  marvellous  love  of  the  heart  of  my  God 
for  me ; 
So  will  I  praise  and  sing, 
Worthy  is  the  Lamb. 


WHITER    THAN  SNOW 

"  Unto  Him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in 
His  own  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God 
and  His  Father  ;  to  Him  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and 
ever." — Rev.  i.  5,  6. 

I  KNOW  it,  my  sins  are  as  crimson, 

Unmeasured  their  depth  and  their  sum  ; 

I  weep  at  His  feet  as  I  own  them — 
To  Him,  to  Him  only  I  come.  .  .  . 

...  As  surely  as  Christ  is  in  heaven, 
His  raiment  as  white  as  the  light, 

So  surely  thy  sins  are  forgiven — 

Thou  art  whiter  than  snow  in  His  sight. 

As  surely  as  Christ  is  in  glory, 

Is  no  condemnation  for  thee, 
And  all  of  thy  sins  without  number 

Are  cast  in  the  depths  of  the  sea. 

Christ  sits  on  the  throne  of  the  Father, 

A  witness  to  angels  and  men, 

That  all  of  thy  judgment  He  suffered, 

And  never  may  suffer  again. 
23 


WHITER   THAN    SNOW 

Himself  He  has  said,  "  It  is  finished  "- 
The  work  of  redemption  is  done  ; 

And  no  man,  nor  God  in  His  glory, 
Can  add  to  the  work  of  His  Son. 


.  .  .  Lord  Jesus,  the  cup  of  Thy  sorrow 
Is  turned  into  sweetness  for  me ; 

I  sit  at  Thy  banquet  in  Heaven 
For  ever,  for  ever  with  Thee. 


YE   ARE   CHRIST'S 

i  Cor.  iii.  23. 

"Asa  shepherd  seeketh  out  his  flock  in  the  day  that  he  is 
among  his  sheep  that  are  scattered,  so  will  I  seek  out  My 
sheep,  and  will  deliver  them  out  of  all  places  where  they  have 
been  scattered  in  the  cloudy  and  dark  day." — Ezek.  xxxiv.  12. 

I  am  Thine,  the  sought  and  the  found  one 

On  mountains  lone ; 
I  am  Thine,  the  saved  and  forgiven, 

Thine ;  Thine  alone. 


I  am  Thine,  Thy  love  and  Thy  longing, 
Thy  hunger  and  thirst ; 

For  me  was  Thy  cry  in  Thine  anguish, 
Forsaken,  accursed. 


I  am  Thine,  the  branch  of  Thy  planting 

In  heavenly  soil ; 

The  fruit  of  Thy  sighs  and  Thy  sorrow, 

Thy  tears  and  Thy  toil. 
25 


26  ye  are  Christ's 

I  am  Thine,  the  pearl  Thou  hast  set  in 

Thy  crown  of  light ; 
I  am  Thine,  the  lamp  Thou  hast  kindled 

In  starless  night. 

I  am  Thine,  Thy  song  and  Thy  music ; 

The  heavens  resound 
With  Thy  joy  that  the  dead  is  living 

The  lost  is  found. 


NOW 

"  Lo,  I  am  with    you  ahvay,    even    unto   the    end     of    the 
world.     Amen." — Matt,  xxviii.  20. 

Alway,  for  ever,  by  night  and  by  day, 

In  the  morning  glad,  in  the  evening  dim  ; 
When  in  glare  of  the  day  lies  the  wilderness  way, 
Ever,  for  ever  with  Him. 

In  the  weary  land  is  the  shade  of  the  Rock, 

The  shade  from  the  fiery  glow ; 
And  where  in  the  noontide  rests  His  flock 

Well,  well  in  my  heart  I  know. 

Ever  at  hand  in  the  midnight  gloom, 

When  the  stars  are  lost  in  a  moonless  deep  ; 
When  the  earth  beneath  is  a  silent  tomb, 
Where  the  beloved  sleep. 

Ever  at  hand  in  the  glory  He  stands 

Of  the  light  beyond  the  stars  and  the  sun ; 
And  the  tears  are  wiped  by  tenderest  Hands — 
His,  the  Undying  One. 

27 


2  8  NOW 

O  Door  to  the  palace  of  crystal  gold, 

To  chambers  of  peace  where  Thine  own  abide, 

The  wayworn  who  rest  awhile  on  Thy  breast 
And  journey  on  earth  by  Thy  side, 

A  Presence  within,  and  a  glory  around, 
A  Home  and  a  Temple  art  Thou ; 

In  the  field  and  the  street  as  on  holy  ground, 
Lord  Jesus,  we  walk  with  Thee  now. 


THE  LEADING  HAND 

"  He  found  him  in  a  desert  land,  and  in  the  waste  howling 
wilderness  ;  He  led  him  about,  He  instructed  him,  He  kept  him 
as  the  apple  of  His  eye." — Deut.  xxxii.  10. 

Led  on  athwart  the  chill  encircling  gloom 

From  wastes  afar, 
When  dark  the  night,  and  far  the  light  of  home — 

No  moon  nor  star.  .   .  . 
But  now,  my  God,  no  more  I  ask  to  see — 
The  radiance  of  Thy  face  has  shone  on  me. 

I  was  not  always  thus ;  I  prayed  that  Thou 

Wouldst  lead  me  on ; 
To  find  the  bliss  I  loved  and  chose — but  now 

The  quest  is  won. 
Far  other  than  the  phantom  that  I  sought, 

A  bliss  unknown ; 
The  blessed  welcome  to  the  Father's  heart, 

His  Home  my  own. 

The  moor,  the  fen,  the  crag  and  torrent  past, 

And  round  me  lies 

29 


30  THE   LEADING   HAND 

The  summer-land  untouched  by  wintry  blast, 

God's  paradise. 
Thyself  the  land  of  fountain  and  of  flood 

From  depths  divine, 
Where  blossom  and  bear  fruit  the  trees  of  God, 

That  land  is  mine. 


FIRST  AND   LAST 

11  The  Lord  God  planted  a  garden  eastward  in  Eden ;  and 
there  He  put  the  man  whom  He  had  formed.  And  out  of  the 
ground  made  the  Lord  God  to  grow  every  tree  that  is  pleasant 
to  the  sight,  and  good  for  food.  .  .  .  The  rib,  which  the  Lord 
God  had  taken  from  man,  made  He  a  woman,  and  brought  her 
unto  the  man.  And  Adam  said,  This  is  now  bone  of  my  bones, 
and  flesh  of  my  flesh." — Gen.  ii.  8,  9,  22,  23. 

"We  are  members  of  His  body,  of  His  flesh,  and  of  His 
bones.  .  .  .  This  is  a  great  mystery  :  but  I  speak  concerning 
Christ  and  the  church." — Eph.  v.  30,  32. 

As  a  telescope  revealing 

Some  unreckoned  star, 
Not  to  our  dim  eyes  appealing 

From  the  depths  afar. 

As  an  ancient  casement  opened 
Towards  the  dawning  day, 

Where  a  land  of  mystic  glory 
Stretches  far  away. 

So  those  words,  so  few,  so  tender, 
Sound  from  days  long  past, 

That  first  home  to  us  foretelling 
What  shall  be  the  last. 


32  FIRST    AND    LAST 

Fairest  trees  the  Lord  had  planted, 

For  the  man  should  see 
Veiled  in  forms  and  hues  of  beauty 

That  which  God  must  be. 

He,  the  man,  should  see  in  all  things 

Parable  and  sign, 
By  the  breath  of  God  receiving 

Sight  and  sense  divine. 

Not  alone  in  that  fair  garden 

Should  his  heart  rejoice  ; 
There  should  blend  in  his  rejoicing 

One  respondent  voice. 

One,  who  from  him,  for  him,  fashioned 

As  his  crown  should  be ; 
For  as  he  was,  God's  belovdd, 

Even  so  was  she. 

Blessed  picture  soon  to  vanish — 

Vanish,  yet  remain ; 
High,  in  God's  eternal  glory 

Verified  again.   .   .   . 


FIRST    AND    LAST  33 

Blessed  hope  of  His  high  calling, 

Goal  that  ends  the  race  ; 
Christ  the  Man  in  heavenly  glory, 

Our  last  resting-place. 

Christ,  the  Man  in  whom  the  fulness 

Of  the  Godhead  dwells, 
All  the  heart  of  God  disclosing, 

There  His  secret  tells. 

Not  the  man  who  saw  the  mystery 
In  a  mirror  dim  ; 
But  the  Lord,  His  face  unveiling, 
God  revealed  in  Him. 

Not  alone  in  that  fair  garden 

Shall  His  heart  rejoice  ; 
There  shall  blend,  in  His  rejoicing, 

One  respondent  voice. 

One  who  for  Him,  from  Him  fashioned, 

His  fair  crown  shall  be  ; 
For  as  He  is,  God's  Beloved, 

Even  so  is  she.1 

1   i  John  iii.  2,  iv.  17. 


34  FIRST    AND    LAST 

He  was  loved  ere  God  had  founded 
Earth  and  heaven  above  ; 

She,  in  Him,  was  loved  and  chosen 
With  eternal  love. 

Unto  this,  O  Lord,  our  Shepherd, 
Dost  Thou  lead  us  now, 

Earnest  of  that  joy  bestowing  ; 
For  that  joy  art  Thou. 

Christ  the  Alpha ;  Christ  beginning 

The  eternal  past ; 
Christ  the  Omega,  the  ending ; 
Christ  the  First  and  Last. 


THE  PILLAR 

"  In  the  daytime  also   He  led   them   with  a  cloud,  and   all 
the  night  with  a  light  of  fire." — Ps.  lxxviii.  14. 

All  along  the  way,  in  the  night  and  in  the  day, 

A  Guide  has  led  me  on  ; 
And  will  lead,  for  ever  lead  me,  though  weary  be 
the  way, 

Till  the  blessed  Home  is  won. 

A  canopy  of  cloud,  in  the  fierceness  of  the  noon, 

That  shadowing  pillar  stands ; 
A  Light  for  ever  steadfast,  in  the  changing  of  the 
moon, 

It  leads  through  midnight  lands. 

Safely  through  the  desert  with  Him  I  journey  on, 

And  the  blessed  end  I  know — 
I  shall  find  the  One  who  led  me,  in  heaven  where 
He  is  gone, 

As  in  the  cloud  below. 


35 


ONE  MOMENT 

"  He  said  unto  her,  Thy  sins  are  forgiven." — Luke  vii.  48. 

One  short  moment  in  an  endless  story, 

All  the  rest  untold ; 
In  the  dark  mine  of  the  vanished  ages 

One  bright  gleam  of  gold. 

One  short  moment  at  the  feet  of  Jesus 

Weeping  joyful  tears ; 
Past  for  ever,  with  their  sin  and  sorrow, 

All  the  former  years. 

One  short  moment — midnight  lies  behind  it, 

Cloudless  day  before : 
This  the  wondrous  tale  that  He  has  told  us ; 

Need  He  tell  us  more  ? 

Coming  forth  unbidden  from  the  darkness, 

Then  in  depths  of  light 
Does  the  witness  of  the  love  eternal 

Vanish  from  our  sight. 

36 


ONE    MOMENT  37 

Yet  we  know  the  midnight  whence  she  journeyed; 

Know  we  not  the  rest? 
Those  who  owed  the  most,  a  sum  unreckoned, 

They  will  know  it  best. 

Know  the  mystery  of  that  deep  compassion, 

Glory  of  that  grace  ; 
Know  the  fulness  of  His  absolution, 

Radiant  in  His  Face. 

Know  the  journey  onward  to  the  glory ; 

Heaven  they  also  know  : 
For  Himself  who  is  the  joy  of  heaven, 

Walks  with  them  below. 


JESUS  MY  SHEPHERD 

"  I  have  found  My  sheep  which  was  lost." — Luke  xv.  6. 

Jesus  sought  me  wandering,  far,  oh,  far  away ! 

He  brought  me  home  to  God. 
Never  are  there  wild  wastes  where  His  sheep  can 
stray 

Beyond  His  staff  and  rod. 

Jesus  bound  my  wounds  ;  He  laid  me  on  His  breast ; 

He  healed  my  sickness  sore. 
Jesus  is  my  Strength,  and  Jesus  is  my  Rest, 

To-day  and  evermore. 

Jesus,  who  hath  found  me,  leadeth  me  along 

Beside  the  waters  still ; 
Jesus  is  my  Food,  and  Jesus  is  my  Song, 

Betide  me  good  or  ill. 

Jesus  is  the  Shepherd  who  gave  His  life  for  me, 

His  loved  one  and  His  own ; 
Pearl  that  He  had  found  in  abysses  of  the  sea, 

His  ever,  His  alone. 

38 


FOUND 

"We  have  found  Him,  .  .  .  Jesus." — John  i.  45. 

No  more  do  I  seek  Thee  ;  for  Thou  art  here. 

It  is  Thou  who  has  sought  for  me ; 
And  nearer  than  I  to  myself  am  near 

For  ever  my  God  will  be. 

I  seek  not  the  sun  when  the  noon  is  high ; 

In  his  light  and  his  warmth  I  dwell : 
And  when  by  the  waters  of  peace  I  lie, 

I  seek  not  the  desert  well. 

I  seek  not  my  Father  the  while  I  sit 

At  the  feast  which  His  hands  have  spread  ; 

In  the  glorious  robe  of  Heaven  made  fit 
I  eat  of  His  living  Bread. 

I  seek  Him  not  in  His  secret  place, 

Where  I  rest  in  the  shade  of  His  wings  ; 
But  ever  beholding  the  light  of  His  face, 

My  soul  rejoices  and  sings. 

39 


40  FOUND 

I  shall  not  seek  Thee  in  Heaven  above  ; 

Mine  eternal  home  art  Thou. 
Oh,  Home  of  my  soul !  I  abide  in  Thy  love 
Now,  even  now. 


THE    WAY 

"  Having  therefore  boldness  to  enter  into  the  Holiest  by  the 
blood  of  Jesus." — Heb.  x.  19. 

By  the  Blood  of  Jesus,  the  precious  Blood  of  Jesus, 

Shed  upon  the  tree, 
Heaven  to  me  is  opened,  the  Heaven  of  the  heavens, 

Even  unto  me. 

Now  the  veil  is  rent,  and  the  mystery  unfolded 

Of  the  future  dim  ; 
I  have  seen  the  Home  wherever  and  for  ever 

I  shall  be  with  Him. 

All  the  stain  effaced,  and  all  the  sin  forgiven, 

All  the  wandering  past ; 
All  the  warfare  ended,  I  shall  fall  before  Him, 

See  His  Face  at  last. 

See  Him  who  has  borne  me  over  the  dark  mountains, 

Over  the  wild  sea ; 
See  Him  who  has  led  me  unto  living  fountains 

Flowing  fresh  and  free. 

41 


42  THE   WAY 

Known  unto  the   soul  ere  yet  the  eyes  have  seen 
Him, 

Known  as  none  beside. 
Then  as  is  the  Bridegroom  decked  in  fair  adorning 

Known  unto  the  bride. 


EARTH  AND  HEAVEN 

11  He  poureth  water  into  a  bason,  and  began  to  wash  the 
disciples'  feet." — John  xiii.  5. 

Washed  for  ever  in  the  blood  of  Jesus 

Once  and  nevermore ; 
Brought  where  spotless  in  their  white  attire 

All  His  saints  adore ; 

There  within  the  Holiest  beholding 
Him,  the  great  High  Priest, 

Joining  in  the  song,  the  glorious  music 
Of  the  heavenly  feast ; — 

Yet  along  the  earthly  path  of  sorrow, 

Feet  defiled  by  sin, 
Still  to  pass  the  mountain  and  the  valley 

Ere  we  enter  in. 

Ours  the  twofold  life  of  earth  and  heaven, 

And  in  both  to  know, 
Him  who  in  His  temple  leads  our  singing, 

Wipes  our  tears  below. 

43 


44  EARTH   AND   HEAVEN 

Here  amidst  the  mire  and  defilement 

Bends  to  wash  our  feet, 
Till  at  last  they  tread  where  nought  defileth 

Heaven's  golden  street. 

Low  He  kneeleth  girded  for  the  washing, 

Still  His  blest  employ, 
Till  He  change  at  last  that  cleansing  water 

To  the  wine  of  joy. 


THE    WELL   IN   THE  DESERT 

"  God  opened  her  eyes,  and  she  saw  a  well  of  water." — Gen. 
xxi.  19. 

WHEN  the  water  is  spent  in  the  pitcher, 

And  the  outcast  weeps  alone, 
Near  at  hand,  in  the  desert  land, 

Is  a  fountain  all  unknown. 

A  fountain  whose  living  waters 

From  the  springs  of  His  love  are  fed, 

Who  numbers  the  stars  of  heaven, 
And  the  hairs  of  the  wanderer's  head. 

He  opens  the  eyes  that  were  weeping, 

That  fountain  of  life  they  see  ; 
It  flowed  from  His   side   in  the   day  that   He 
died, 

O,  thirsting  soul,  for  thee  ! 

In  the  noon  of  the  burning  desert 

That  marvellous  fount  unsealed ; 
In  the  drought  of  the  soul  despairing 

Christ,  Christ  revealed. 

45 


46  THE   WELL   IN   THE   DESERT 

Christ  for  the  wilderness  journey ; 

Christ  when  the  journey  is  past ; 
Christ  the  Beginning,  the  Ending ; 

Christ  the  First  and  the  Last. 


FOLLOWING 

"  Follow  thou  Me." — John  xxi.  22. 

"  Follow    thou   Me."      O    Heart    that   needed   my 
nearness 

Where  Thou  art  gone, 
Give  me  with  foot  unlingering  ever  and  ever 

To  follow  on. 

More  blessed  than  joy  of  service,  the  courts  to  enter 

Of  that  high  place  ; 
Where   Thou    art   the   song  and  music,   and  home 
and  welcome, 

And  see  Thy  face. 

Then  to  return,  transfigured  by  sight  of  Thy  glory 

To  tell  of  Thee  ; 
To   say,   we  have  seen  and  heard  Him,   and  bring 
back  His  message, 

11  Come  unto  Me." 

47 


48  FOLLOWING 

For  Thou  art  the  goal  of  the  race,  the  end  of  the 
journey, 

O  Christ,  our  Lord  ; 
Thou  art  our  haven,  our  heaven,  our  rest,  and  our 
gladness, 

Our  great  reward. 

And  after  the  crown  is  won,  and  the  palm  to  the 
hand  is  given, 

The  warfare  past, 
All  enemies  under  Thy  feet  for  ever  and  ever, 

Subdued  at  last. 

Then  there  remains  the  glorious  country  untrodden 

By  angels'  feet, 
Where  there   shall  walk  in  white  the  washed  and 


forgiven 


By  Thee  made  meet. 


For  the  heritage  undefiled,  the  heavens  unsullied, 

Meet,  Lord,  for  Thee ; 
The  bride  adorned  for  her  Husband,  and  fair  with 
His  beauty, 

His  crown  to  be. 


FOOTPRINTS 

"  My  sheep  wandered  through  all  the  mountains,  and  upon 
every  high  hill." — Ezek.  xxxiv.  6. 

How  beautiful  on  the  mountains 
Are  the  feet  of  Him  who  brings 

The  tidings  of  living  fountains, 
Of  the  everlasting  springs. 

Why  far  in  the  desolate  places 
The  track  of  His  feet  do  I  see  ? 

His  loved  and  His  lost  ones  He  seeketh, 
Wherever,  wherever  they  be. 

They  were  washed  in  the  tears  of  sinners, 
Those  feet  in  the  years  long  ago  ; 

They  were  pierced  by  the  hands  of  sinners, 
That  the  cleansing  Blood  might  flow. 

They  are  treading,  unthanked  and  unwearied, 

The  mountains  of  sorrow  and  shame  ; 

Their  track  is  the  path  that  leadeth 

To  the  glory  whence  they  came. 

49  n 


SO  FOOTPRINTS 

Thither,  His  steps  returning, 

Have  marked  the  way  He  has  trod, 

To  the  source  of  the  crystal  river 
That  flows  from  the  throne  of  God. 


THE   GIFT 

"Thine   they  were,   and   Thou   gavest  them   Me." — John 
xvii.  6. 

Father,  ere  the  world  was,  Thou  gavest  to  Thy  Son 

Thy  pearl  from  the  deep  sea, 
Precious  and  unsullied,  the  many  who  are  one, 

Thus,  Father,  even  me. 

Even  me,  O  Father,  with  myriads  washed  in  Blood, 

One  pearl  of  worth  unpriced, 
Chosen  for  His  crown  upon  the  throne  of  God, 

The  radiant  crown  of  Christ. 

Love  that  cannot  end  as  it  never  could  begin, 

Sought  out  in  love  divine, 
Lost  ones  in  the  midnight  of  sorrow  and  of  sin, 

Yet  Thine,  for  ever  Thine. 

Thine  the  earthly  vessels  of  preciousness  untold, 

Though  fashioned  from  the  clod, 
Unto  Thee  most  holy,  at  last  to  shine  as  gold, 

In  the  Temple  that  is  God. 

51 


52  THE    GIFT 

Temple  of  the  glory  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb, 

Where  all  His  own  shall  meet. 
His  crown  of  thorns  recalling  in  radiance  of  the 
crowns 

They  cast  before  His  feet. 


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